Hand operated trouser hanger

ABSTRACT

A trouser hanger which embodies a pair of shiftable trouser contacting members arranged to contact and hold the cuff of the trousers which members are spring-loaded into normal trouser retaining position with lever means associated therewith to spread the members apart to receive the trousers therein which lever member is arranged in association to the hanger portion or hook portion of the device to permit singlehanded operation thereof.

United States Patent [72] Inventor William Bill Knox 522 N. lhrtll Ave., Madison, 8. Dak. 57042 [21] Appl. No. 872,218 [22] Filed Oct. 29, 1969 [45] Patented July 20, 1971 [S4] HAND OPERATED TROUSER HANGER 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 223/96 [51] Int. Cl. A47] 51/14 [50] Field ofSeareh 223/96, 91, 90

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 632,641 9/1899 .Carder 223/96 886,642 5/1908 Rohde .4 223/96 2,581,800 1/1952 Lane 223/91 2,610,775 9/1952 Stager 223/96 3,197,095 7/1965 Swanson 223/96 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,505,673 1 1/1967 France 223/96 Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin Assistant Examiner-George H. Krizmanich Attorney-James R. Cwayna ABSTRACT: A trouser hanger which embodies a pair of shiftable trouser contacting members arranged to contact and hold the cuff of the trousers which members are spring-loaded into normal trouser retaining position with lever means associated therewith to spread the members apart to receive the trousers therein which lever member is arranged in association to the hanger portion or hook portion of the device to permit singlehanded operation thereof.

PATENTEnJuLzmsn 3,593,897

HAND OPERATED TROUSER HANGER! In the past, various trouser hanging devices have been provided which include spring-loaded members for urging the cuff grasping portions into holding position. Most of these devices, however, require that two hands be utilized in the operation thereof and obviously using two hands to insert or remove the trousers require that the trousers be laid upon a supporting surface for proper insertion or removal thereof without the same falling to the floor. Applicant has provided a device herein which incorporates a pair of trouser or cuff contacting members with lever means to urge'the same apart to trouser receiving or releasing position with the lever member arranged in position to permit one handed operation thereof. The hanger does include spring-loaded devices to urge the trouser contacting portion into normal sideby-side position in which the trousers will be grasped between the elements.

In addition to this particular concept, applicant has provided certain gripping surfaces between the trouser cuff contacting elements to properly insure that the members will hold the trousers therebetween and not permit the same to slip therethrough. In addition to this particular arrangement, the cuff contacting portions of applicant's device include angled surfaces which are in face-toface relation such than an accommodating area is provided for the cuff received therein. Most of the present trouser hangers do not afford such an angled relationship and as such, the seam of the trousers being the point of thickest material concentration often provide the only holding area for the trouser cuff.

With applicants device, a bell crank arrangement having a link to the lever will, when the lever is actuated, urge the trouser contacting members open to permit the insertion of the trouser cuffs therein or to permit the release of the trouser cuffs therefrom.

It is, therefore, an object of applicant's invention to provide a trouser hanging device having lever actuated means thereon for urging the cuff contacting portions into and out of trouser engaging position to permit the trousers to be inserted or removed therefrom.

It is a further object of applicants invention to provide a spring-loaded hanging device which incorporates spring means for normally urging the trouser contacting portions into holding position.

It is a further object of applicants invention to provide a trouser hanging device which incorporates a pair of cuff contacting and holding elements which contacting and holding elements are provided with divergent faces such that sufficient room is provided therebetween to accommodate the thickness of the cuff.

It is a further object of applicants invention to provide a trouser hanging device having a pair of closing, cuff contacting, and holding elements which elements are provided with holding surfaces in face-to-face relation thereon such that an antislip arrangement is provided for the hanger.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like references characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a trouser hanger embodying the concepts of applicant's invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 1 being drawn to an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 illustrates a modified spring element for use with applicants invention and;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of FIG. 4.

In accordance with the accompanying drawings, applicant's trouser hanging device having a lever actuated member thereon is generally designated 10. The hanger includes a pair of longitudinally extending cuff engaging members 11- 12 of a predetermined height and length and having a pair of inwardly directed surfaces Ila-12m which surfaces are as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 divergent from the lower edge thereof to the upper edge thereof to provide an area of increased dimension at the upper portion thereof such that the cuff of the trousers will be more readily received therein due to this increased area. Also on the front surfaces friction devices 13-14 are provided to aid in grasping the cloth of the trousers. In this form then, certain assistance to retaining the trousers between these members 11-12 is provided.

A first connecting member is arranged on the first cuff engaging member 12 and it includes a longitudinally extending formed wire device 15 haVing downwardly extending legs 16-17 which are received into or are rigidly connected to the first cuff engaging member 12. The longitudinally extending portion of such wire 15 extends between the leg 16-17 and includes a downwardly arranged offset 18 which offset also is directed transversely of the longitudinal arrangement of the unit such that a crank arrangement is afforded by such member 15.

A second connecting device generally designated 20 is again provided with downwardly extending legs 21-22 to be received into the other cuff engaging member 11 and this connective device is provided with a rearward directed portion 23-24 and an upwardly extending portion 25-26 which upwardly extending portion circumscribes the first connective wire device 15 as at points 27-28 to provide a pivotal connection between such members 15-20 and obviously between the two cuff engaging members 11-12. After such circumscribing relationship, this connective member 20 extends upwardly and converges as at 29-20 to a common hanger member 31 which is provided with a hook area 32 for hanging the same over a closet clothes bar.

It should be noted that one of the upwardly extending portions 29 of the second connective device 20 a longitudinally extending pivotal housing designated 33 is provided. This forwardly extending support area provides a pivotal mounting for a lever device generally designated 35 which is secured thereto by a pin member 34. The lever device 35 includes a pair of side elements 36-37 which are arranged on either side of the upwardly extending portions and converging portions 29-30 of the second connective member 20 such that a vertical guide is provided thereby. The lever members 36-37 are joined to a common handle member 38 at the opposite end of the upwardly extending portion of the second connective device 20 such that the handle member 38 is arranged to permit the handle 38 to be received into the palm of the hand and preferrably between the index finger and the thumb of the hand with the tips of the fingers being able to grasp the upwardly extending portion 31 of the second connective member 20 to permit the handle to be moved toward the same pivoting the same about the pivot point 34 on the extending support member 33.

A connective element 40 is provided between an intermediate pivotal connection 41 on the handle 35 and the crank portion 18 of the first connective member 15. Obviously, this crank arrangement provides, when the handle 35 is moved upwardly, an upward force to be directed onto the crank portion 18 to cause the connected cuff engaging portion 12 to be moved from the cuff engaging portion 11.

In order to insure proper closure of the two cuff engaging portions ill-12, applicant has in the form shown, illustrated a pair of coil springs 45-45 which have one end 46 thereof secured to the exterior surface of the trouser engaging member 12 and which extends therefrom to circumscribe a section of the first connective member 15 and thereafter to have the other end thereof 47 received behind or connected to the portion of the second connective bar immediately above the circumscribing portions 27-28.

Obviously, the concept of the coil springs45-45 is to provide a pressure normally urging the two cuff engaging portions 11-12 into face-to-face relationship and inxthis matter, it should be noted that many forms of coil springs may be utilized which may include coil springs having their ends respectively secured to each of the cuff engaging portions 1 l-- 12 or which may include coil springs of various designs and configudevice includes a pair of leg members 5l52 each of which is provided withengaging elements 53-53 at the lower end thereof to permit the same to be connected to one of the cuff engaging members 11-l2 and which legs extend to a generally circular configuration 58 at the upper end thereof which essentially in combination with the material utilized for the member 50 provides the proper spring tension to urge the cuff engaging portions 1ll2 into their proper face-to-face relationship.

It should be obvious that applicant's primary aspect of this invention is to provide a lever member which will, through singlehanded operation, permit the cuff engaging portions 11-- 12 thereof to be opened and closed to permit the insertion or removal of trousers from the unit.

It should be obvious that applicant has provided a new and unique handle operated trouser hanging device having a handle member for operation thereof and which further includes positivespring closure elements to provide means for normally urging the trouser hanging devices into their proper trouser retaining relationship.

What I claim is:

l. A trouser hanging device including:

' a. a pair of opposed trouser engaging elements;

b. means for pivotally connecting a first of said elements to the second of said elements to permit the same to be shifted from a first adjacent trouser engaging position to a second spaced trouser releasing position;

0. means normally urging said elements into adjacent trouser engaging position;

d. crank means on one of said pivotally one of said elements;

e. lever means on the other of said pivotally connecting means; i v

f. a link connecting said lever means to said crank means whereby upon actuation of said lever said elements will be shifted from normal adjacent position their spacedapart position and,

g. one of said pivotal connecting means extending upward to provide a hook element.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 and said urging means including spring band means having its spring portions thereof respectively connected to one of said trouser engaging elements.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1 and the opposed faces of said trouser engaging elements being in upward diverging connecting means of relation to one another to provide an enlarged trouser receiving area at the upper portion thereof.

4. The structure set forth in claim 1 and friction providing means on the opposed faces of said opposed trouser hanging elements.

5. The structure set forth in claim 1 and said lever means being arranged a predetermined distance from said upwardly extending hook portion whereby said lever and said upwardly extending portion may be grasped in one hand. 

1. A trouser hanging device including: a. a pair of opposed trouser engaging elements; b. means for pivotally connecting a first of said elements to the second of said elements to permit the same to be shifted from a first adjacent trouser engaging position to a second spaced trouser releasing position; c. means normally urging said elements into adjacent trouser engaging position; d. crank means on one of said pivotally connecting means of one of said elements; e. lever means on the other of said pivotally connecting means; f. a link connecting said lever means to said crank means whereby upon actuation of said lever said elements will be shifted from normal adjacent position their spaced-apart position and, g. one of said pivotal connecting means extending upward to provide a hook element.
 2. The structure set forth in claim 1 and said urging means including spring band means having its spring portions thereof respectively connected to one of said trouser engaging elements.
 3. The structure set forth in claim 1 and the opposed faces of said trouser engaging elements being in upward diverging relation to one another to provide an enlarged trouser receiving area at the upper portion thereof.
 4. The structure set forth in claim 1 and friction providing means on the opposed faces of said opposed trouser hanging elements.
 5. The structure set forth in claim 1 and said lever Means being arranged a predetermined distance from said upwardly extending hook portion whereby said lever and said upwardly extending portion may be grasped in one hand. 